Hello friends, any tips for newcomers? I've not spent a single gem yet cause I see that's the paid currency
What kind of tips are you after? I'm assuming you want to remain F2P. You do get some characters for free, but others you will need to use currency to get. At the moment, Bari is in rotation. She is very strong. I'm not sure how strong Rue is but Bari has carried many people and torment others in arena/coliseum alike. All of this is heresay though, I've tried my luck on Bari multiple times and RNG is unfavourable for me here.
The Knight or Guardian is a good investment. Two reasons for this is that she can use a variety of different weapons which might be useful to help you push through trouble spots (including some ranged weapons for kiting) but also because event rifts will grant 20% bonus currency per run.
It is worth joining a guild because the raid gems are fairly generous even with little effort.
It might help to know what heroes you have if you want some team suggestions. Heavily investing in one hero can carry you quite far. A full team of the same element (mono element teams) can be very strong due to passives from various characters as they unlock. Also if there is a character you really like, they typically work in PvE since it is often skill based though some sections may be harder. Some stages may also require ranged weapons or what not.
For items, random evolution your 1 and 2* gear into 3 or higher. Going up further is a bit costly but also has a chance to score a hero's EX weapon on the rare occasion. If the item is of a high level though, consider feeding it to your current weapon/accessory. A decent weapon will go a long way and probably more important early on that which hero you are using.
My suggestion is to invest in the Guardian until you find heroes you like to add to your team.
Play a little of coliseum. It is quick and without too much effort you get some gems per week. I don't even use all my entries and not even playing every day.
Stamina is used to unlock a stage or grind resources. Once the stage is unlocked, you can quit to lobby and enter again for free later.
Character Evolution is a long process but one of the most vital ones for character progression. If you don't know what to dump your stamina on, this is probably the one.
I think, spending some currency on heroes or weapons can probably help you in the long run. A good hero/weapon can carry you a bit and earn you some crystals along the way. But everyone plays a bit differently and with different goals. I switch from being a heavy saver on my gems to throwing it all out on a whim.
The awakening stones rift can be played 3 times per day without using gems to refresh. I highly recommend prioritizing these 3 rounds because every hero uses these stones and you run out faster than you realise as you progress. This is the illegal parking car bashing stages. They are pretty quick thankfully.